There are countless things to do this Labor Day weekend in Los Angeles, but it’s a three-day holiday, so of course, it’s nice to go out of town — even a little. Still, we’re torn, we have mad love for the staycation and the routine of our daily workouts.

So, we decided to do a little bit of both this weekend. Check out our list of day trip and overnight getaways — that aren’t the usual trifecta of Ojai, Santa Barbara and Palm Springs — and that won’t have you traveling more than three hours (traffic depending) to the beach, mountains, desert, hot springs, or wine country. We suggest downloading and updating Waze and taking the scenic route if traffic is bad, after all that’s what road trips are all about!

Note: All four of our suggestions are estimated time and distance-wise from our Hollywood studio.

Photo Credit: Michael Lawenko de la Paz

Oh Baby Drive Away to Malibu

Courtney Love was so right with those lyrics! Just 30 miles away and roughly under an hour’s drive — much of it scenic it’s the perfect way to enjoy a little of everything southern California offers us. It’s easy to think of Malibu not counting as a getaway but it is amazing for a day or an AirBnB overnight. Think: El Matador, Escondido, Paradise Cove, Point Dume and Zuma Beaches for horseback riding, swimming, SUPing and other water sports; hiking and mountain biking in the Santa Monica Mountains; camping in Leo Carrillo and Malibu Creek State Parks, or, a little indoor culture at the Getty Villa and Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Denmark in Two Hours

The Santa Ynez Valley is probably the last place you’d think would give off a wholeheartedly European vibe, and most specifically a Danish one. Forty-five miles northeast of Santa Barbara and 2.5 miles from LA is the lovely and charming, nearly 100-year old city of Solvang. You know you’re in Solvang when you’re suddenly hit with a radical change in architecture. It’s all Scandinavian style and feels like a village. The Elverhoj Museum gives the down-low on the history of the area and answers all your whys. Bike around Solvang and vineyard/winery/tasting room hop throughout the Santa Ynez Valley. More family-oriented stops include an ostrich farm and the Quicksilver Ranch where there are miniature ponies.

Photo Credit: www.lakearrowheadresort.com

Head to the MountainsMost people go the distance (25 miles more) and head for Big Bear Lake, but closer and only 86 miles and roughly an hour and 40 minutes away, is Lake Arrowhead. We like it because it’s a bit more chill than BBL — smaller and quieter — less developed. While we don’t like how the lakefront isn’t accessible to visitors because it’s private, you can hike around it. We dig that little beach and come summer, the riverboat tours, fishing charters, and free concert series.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Bathe Au NaturelSpa days rock and are easy to indulge in between KTown and Thai Town, but we love the just over an hour desert getaway to Glen Ivy Hot Springs to relax within the natural mineral springs. The 11-acre spa has mud pools, mineral baths, and fitness classes, and that’s without even getting into the menu of treatments they offer. Glen Ivy is best as just as day trip since it’s so close and there’s no hotel right there.